every day of the week. very cute. thanks for being with us. the giants play at 8:open. on this saturday night, deadly shootout. a community paralyzed by a gunman going door to door in an apartment complex. chilling six people taken hostage when s.w.a.t. teams move in. violence erupts. new clashes in cairo. dozens of protesters against egypt's new government are killed. thousands injured, and a new warning tonight from the u.s. secretary of state. buyer beware. millions of americans hit with billions in charges without even realizing what they've signed up for. and cronut craze. how this curious looking croissant has generated an awareness about the trendy

treat. >> announcer: from the headquarters in new york, this is "nightly news" with lester holt. a volley of gunfire freed two people but not before their captor shot and killed six others. the drama began friday evening at an apartment building in high laya where police say a tenant shot and killed a couple during an argument and then randomly began firing at neighbors. tonight, the terrorized community is still recovering after the final dramatic confrontation earlier today between the gunman and a police s.w.a.t. team, much of it caught on tape. our mark potter is there tonight with more. mark, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. behind me is the apartment complex where the shootings took place. it began last night and ended early this morning when police shot and killed the gunman holding hostages.

one by one vans from the medical examiner's office left an apartment complex today with the bodies of six victims and the gunman who he shot his neighbors with a .9 millimeter handgun. the hours long ordeal began around 6:30 eastern last night when a building tenant identified as 42-year-old pedra alberto vargas used a flammable liquid to set fire to his apartment. a husband and wife in their 60s and 70s came to his apartment. >> he came out the door, mr. vargas, and shot both of them several times killing them right at the scene. >> reporter: the victim's daughter was nearby. >> i heard about 15 to 20 shots, anso i went outside and my neighbors were screaming that my parents have been shot. >> reporter: police say vargas then ran back through the smoke to his fourth floor balcony and fired ten to 20 more shots, killing a man across the street coming home from work. >> the subject then ran out of

his apartment, ran down to the third floor, kicked the door open of an apartment, and shot a man, his wife, and their 17-year-old daughter inside the apartment. >> reporter: from there, police say vargas ran through the building firing more shots, including at arriving police. >> our main objective at that point was to neutralize an active shooter, and we tried and tried engaging him at first in the hallway and he kept running from us as he fired at us and we fired at him. >> reporter: finally after hiding out a while, the gunman broke into apartment 523, taking two hostages. police say they tried to negotiate a surrender, but that failed and a s.w.a.t. team broke in and killed him. the flash is visible from the street below. the hostages were rescued unharmed but shaken. now, police say when vargas was

killed, he still had a lot of ammunition that he could have used. they also say they're still trying to determine a motive and are looking into the possibility of a dispute between vargas and the building management. lester? >> mark potter, thank you. a state of emergency has been declared tonight in southwest north carolina after heavy rains triggered severe flash flooding, stranding motorists and challenging rescuers. the city of newton and the city of hickory especially hard hit. several thousands of people without power there tonight. a boat carrying six people, including members of a wedding party, struck a barge in the hudson river last night just north of manhattan. tonight the boat's operator has been charged with first-degree vehicular manslaughter as he remains hospitalized. four people were taken to the hospital after the crash. the bride to be and the best man went missing. today a female body was recovered from the river, but has not been identified. the search continues for the missing man. there's late word from indianapolis tonight where three people were killed and several others critically injured when a

bus overturned near interstate 465. police say most of the 40 passengers were teenagers returning home from summer camp. overseas now in spain, the driver of that fast-moving train that derailed on wednesday killing 78 people was released from the hospital today. the driver francisco garzon was treated for a head injury in the crash. he has been arrested on charges of alleged reckless homicide. he will remain in police custody until he appears before a judge to answer questions about the accident. in egypt, it's the bloodiest day since president morsi was forced from office. there are varying death tolls, but at least 80 people are confirmed dead. other reports have the number in the hundreds. thousands have been injured after police clashed with supporters of the ousted president in what could be the start of a sustained and violent crackdown. nbc's amman mojadin is in cairo tonight and has our report. >> reporter: gunshots echoing across a cairo street.

police seen in the distance firing tear gas and, according to eyewitnesss, live ammunition in the direction of the supporters of mohammed morsi. throughout the night and early morning the wounded were ferried from the front lines, many brought here to the field hospital at the center of the anti-coup protest site. >> many were wounded in the head, in the neck, and in the chest. and gunshots were shot to kill. >> reporter: for hours people searched for relatives and friends caught in the clashes nearby. hospitals posted patient lists outside to help identify victims. inside the hospital in 17-year-old was recovering from a police bullet that hit him in the stomach. he was among the many participating in a march calling for ousted president morsi to be reinstated. in alexandria, pro-morsi accused

them of using plain clothes thugs while fighting with the supporters of the deposed president. these were anything but peaceful protests. police released this footage showing demonstrators firing at them and crowds burning cars to block major roads while terrorizing neighborhoods in cairo. the government says it has run out of patience with pro-morsi sit-in protests that have been encamped for nearly a month. today the police vowed to break up the protest by law and with force if necessary. more supplies are being delivered to the field hospital. a sign they, too, were preparing for more violence. this evening, u.s. secretary of state john kerry called his egyptian counterpart and interim vice president and called on them to exercise maximum

restraint in dealing with the protests. he called it a pivotal moment for the country and called on egyptian officials to build a more inclusive political process, but more importantly, to pull the country back from the brink. lester? >> amman in cairo tonight. thanks. the korean war ended today with -- ended on this day with the two sides signing a truce in 1953. president obama honored veterans of that war who never got the homecoming he said they deserved. speaking at the korean war veterans memorial in washington was defense secretary hagel. the president called on the nation to recognize their sacrifice saying their legacy is the 50 million people who live freely in a democratic south korea. >> your lives are an inspiration. your service will never be forgotten. you have the thanks of a grateful nation, and your shining deeds will live now and forever. >> the fighting on both sides of the korean conflict claimed more than 1,200,000 lives, but there was never a formal peace treaty,

and there is sharp contrast between how the two koreas are marking this day. we have two reports from the divided peninsula, beginning with nbc's ann curry. she's inside north korea with a rare glimpse of that secretive society. ann? >> reporter: lester, good evening. we were invited here on this anniversary with more than 100 other members of the world's press, and today we saw a massive show of force. north korea, a small nation with the world's fourth largest army, staged one of its biggest military parades ever today. in a show of defiant precision. soldiers by the thousands goose-stepped with such intensity the ground seemed to shake. the parade of weapons included fighter jets, what appear to be drones, and it showcased the missile the u.s. worries could with enhancements reach alaska and hawaii with nuclear weapons. intelligence analysts question whether some of the weapons were

real or mock-ups. also striking, soldiers strapped vests baring a radioactive symbol. it's unclear what they were, but just this spring north korea warned its troops could be used as human bombs against the u.s. the choreography included a people's expression of adulation for their young leader kim jong-un. >> this celebration is being held in what north korea calls victory day because people here have been led to believe they won the korean war. they're 60 years to the day since the war officially ended. in many ways it's still being fought here every day. among the men and women who fought for north korea, this former machine gunner, now 80, who says he is willing to fight again, but wants to be optimistic there will be peace. their generation knows all too well the real cost of war. ann curry, nbc news, pyongyang. >> korea remains a divided

nation. >> this is ian williams in seoul. here in south korea, the commemorations were more solemn. signs to remember the dead and thanks for the 21 countries that gave them support. the country's president warning that peace remains uncertain. at least 36,000 americans died in just three years of combat. for american veterans, this was a chance to honor their fallen comrades from what's often called the forgotten war to look for friends among the names of the dead. >> i think that we've probably with this korean war prevented world war iii. >> reporter: we joined one group of veterans revisiting the dmz and their old battlefields. >> thank you very much. i appreciate that. >> reporter: formally greeted by the south korean soldiers who now defend this frontline. >> that would have been a trench. >> reporter: dan peterson spent much of his war in the trenches confronting the waves of chinese troops that had come to the aid of the north.

this classic movie "pork chop hill" depicts the first phase of the battle that peter has experienced firsthand. >> that's where the chinese were within 300 yards of us. we didn't know they were there. >> reporter: then visiting the preserved ruins of the local communist headquarters. there aren't many of these remnants left in south korea, but at the end of the war, much of the country, including the capital seoul, looked pretty much like this. but now a prosperous and thriving democracy. >> 60 years ago there weren't any buildings here. not anything like this. no. >> reporter: changes that for many american veterans are a vindication of all they fought for, lester. >> ian williams and ann curry on the korean peninsula for us. thank you both. to brazil where today pope francis challenged the clergy to step outside their churches and communities and start ministering directly to the people in their parishes.

ann thompson is traveling with the pope in rio de janeiro tonight. >> good evening, lester. they are shoulder to shoulder on kopa cabana beach. some three million people are estimated to be here for tonight's vigil and tomorrow's mass. traditionally the biggest events of world youth day. pope francis is also here on this joyous occasion, but earlier in the day he had some strong words for the church and the clergy. he criticized the church for being too distant from people's needs, too cold and too caught up in itself. are we a church, he asked, still capable of warming hearts? he urged priests and nuns to get out into their communities, to meet people where they're at and speak in words they understand. efforts he hopes will bring people back to the church. now, it wasn't all serious today. and lester, we just had to show you this video of some archbishops trying to learn the flash dance that they're going to perform tomorrow before the mass. clearly, they have some work to do.

many people are going to spend the night here out on kopa cabana beach, and they will get up early tomorrow morning for mass. lester? >> all right. ann thompson in rio tonight, thank you. a passing of note tonight. former congresswoman and former u.s. ambassador to the vatican lindy boggs has died of natural causes at her home in chevy chase, maryland. boggs who succeeded her husband in the house of representatives after his plane crashed in alaska was the first woman elected to congress in louisiana. she was also active in civil rights issues and the mother of abc news analyst coke roberts. she was 97. theresa heinz kerry is on the road to recovery. she was released from a massachusetts rehab hospital today where she was treated for a seizure earlier this month. when "nbc nightly news" continues for this saturday evening, paying the price. what it's costing millions of us when we forget to read the fine print in those free trial offers. and a dying man giving away

his considerable fortune to charity. .

how many times have we signed up for something because it was free only to learn that we've been zapped with charges we never expected? it's happening to millions of us, and the cost is staggering. we get the story from cnbc sharon epperson. >> reporter: 27-year-old athena carp noticed a strange card on her credit card bill last summer. >> i'm frustrated and confused

because i didn't know what it was. >> reporter: earlier in the year she had registered for wi-fi service at the airport with a company called boingo. during the next six months she was hit with recurring monthly charge of nearly $10. she didn't realize that was part of the deal. >> i was shocked that i had, you know, fallen a victim of a service where so many other people out there have had really bad experiences. >> reporter: boingo says its you subscription charges are explicitly stated in the sign-up and payment process. but these fees, known as grey charges, are unwanted and sometimes not obvious to consumers. nearly half of these grey charges are for services that offer customers a free trial and that later convert to a paid subscription. companies bank on people forgetting they signed up for those offers or missing the fine print. >> these are not illegal. they are not fraudulent. that's why they're grey charges rather than black and white charges. they're sneaky. they're tedious. >> reporter: now a new study finds they're really adding up. consumers are paying more than $14 billion in grey charges each

year. broken down another way, one in every three credit or debit cardholders in the u.s. pay an average of $215 a year. the most common grey charges were between $20 and $50 last year. often from gym memberships, making subscriptions and mail order programs. experts say consumers are most vulnerable online. >> it's the online purchases where consumers are giving their card information over to merchants and retailers, accepting these kinds of free offers that trigger grey charges. >> reporter: carp, unfortunately, learned her lesson the hard way. >> i have those moments now where i'm about to type in my credit card information where i still have so much fear of, oh, my god, is this going to be a recurring fee? >> reporter: but says she now makes sure to read carefully before she clicks. sharon epperson, nbc news. new york. when "nbc nightly news"

continues, how one man is confronting his mortality with a simple act of kidness. ness.

you may not know his name, but there's a good chance you've been laughing at his characters for a long time. he is facing a difficult diagnosis now, and he has found a way to put his life and his considerable wealth and success in perspective and help others. nbc's mike taibi for us tonight. >> reporter: in fictional springfield, homer simpson's fictional family struggles daily with a relentlessly frustrating and cynical world around them. >> i'm in an abusive relationship with life. >> reporter: in real life, sam simon, co-developer of the longest running scripted show in television history, life was as good as it gets. he was lead writer for only four of the show's now 24-year run.

he retired at age 35 with a back-end deal that has earned him up to $30 million a year from syndication and other fees. now facing terminal cancer and given only months to live, the twice divorced and childless simon has chosen to leave his entire fortune to charities he has long supported. >> he has not shied away from picking philanthropic cause that is reflect who he is as a person of ideas. >> reporter: those causes include peta, which has named its headquarters after simon. several dog rescue organizations, and the anti-whaling group sea shepherd for whom he purchased a state-of-the-art ship. at a peta event he criticized the use of sea mammals as entertainment. >> their shows, in my professional opinion, are crap. >> reporter: others among the super rich have chose tony leave the bulk of their fortunes to charity. famous last names like turner, bloomberg, rockefeller, allen, lucas, gates, buffett, and zuckerberg. sam simon is not quite in their financial league, but he is

leaving it all and it's plenty, a legacy like that of the simpsons to extend well into the future. mike taibi, nbc news, los angeles. in a moment, a new treat making a difference in the lives of the less fortunate.

in our making a difference story tonight, the story about a culinary explosion that has turned into a charitable boon. nbc's katie on the unexpected blessings of the cronut.

>> reporter: the hottest new craze in new york city with a line hundreds deep, these people have been waiting for hours. so what is it? it's a cronut. yes, a pastry. no, it's not magically fat-free. >> it's creamy, sugary, and it's definitely worth the wait. >> reporter: dominic created the cronut. his tiny soho bakery has been swamped for months. people can't seem to get enough of the cronut. >> yes, this is fun, but one person pointed out this line is strikingly similar to another one uptown. seven miles away this is the line at the food bank for new york city. >> there are people lining up for food every single day, so you see how it's a city of very rich and very poor. >> reporter: this online article pointing that out went viral. out of work for over a year, wilson martinez and his wife

jada are familiar faces around here. >> this is the first meal you ate today? >> yes. >> what time is it? >> it's almost 4:00. >> reporter: wilson says the free meal is a lifesaver for his family while he looks for work. >> the job opportunities, it's bad out here. it just wasn't available, there would be a lot of hungry people. >> reporter: the story about the city's hungry hit a nerve. >> i grew up not having enough food. i remember counting every coin to be able to buy bread for the family. it's very important to me. >> reporter: and pledging to raise money for food bank new york city by holding daily raffles for the cronut and donating all of the proceeds for cronut t-shirts. for each dollar donated, five are fed. >> the moment that new yorkers are aware of how big the problem is and how simple it is to make a difference, you got a winning combination. >> reporter: $5 for one cronut. $1 for five meals.

a tale of two cities bridging the gap. nbc news, new york. that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'm lester holt reporting tomorrow morning on "today" and then back here tomorrow evening. tomorrow morning on "today" and then back here tomorrow evening. good evening, everyone. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

frustration continues to mount for the defending world champions, losing five of the last six. but the bright spot has been the consistent pitching of madison bumgarn bumgarner. he will try to be the stopper in the series. giants/cubs, next. on a beautiful night in late july in downtown san francisco, giants baseball, tonight, the c cubs and the giants. at 24